The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1887-06-09
ABBEY OF KLoSTERNCUBERo.
The Treasure Room and Imperial Apart
ments-SeatetI Oh the Throne.

The Treasure Room and Imperial Apart
ments-SeateI Oh the Throne.
Finally after much waiting and wander
ing up and down along chilly corridors
and great strong staircaSes worn with the
monastic tread of long ages, it occurred
to some of the mere commercial mCnlals
that they turn an honest kreutZer. So
one of the more entcrpfising wayiaid a
brother little more profusely covered
with gold than his fellows, and obtained
permission to show me the objects Of
greatest interest. Several servants ar
ranged among themselves to pass me
from hand to hand, to extract and sub
divide the greatest amount of fee. OF
what | saw L viii speak briefly of only
the treasure rooEl and imperial apart
rncnts rarely visited. These treasure
rooms of converts. churches and aDloys
contain objects Of greater or less SIM
larity. There are usually among them
the appliances of Catholic church worship
richly adorned with precious stones, the
skull of some saint blazing with jewels.
In this case it was that of st. Leopold,
the founder Of the abbey. The collection
is worth many millions of florins, the
principal value being III greataiiamonds,
ruIbies, emeraleis and sapphires, many of
them embroidered on priestly robes,
themselves precious on account OF the
sanctity of those who once wore
them. These treasure rooms are jealo;Isly
guarded. You enter by ponderous door
which yields unwiliingly to n key IS
large as that of the rate OF a mediHval
city. The treasure is ranged round the
room in great casca- each closed with
doors almost Is heavy. which. thrown
open, disclose the objects. tho most pre-
ciOus in show cases covered with thick
glass.
was shown the imperial apartments
by an aged damcl, whose soiled apparel
did not correspond with the enormous
wealth of the abbey. The novel and
striking feature OF her face We're two
teeth, which. descending from beneath
the upper lip, projected over the neither
like the tgisks Of a walrus. They Were
two of the pearls that one time had been
stamens 'twixt the pouted petals of her
lips as now forgotten American poet
has sung. There was nothing unusually
remarkable in connection with the apart
nlents. except the view across the Dan
ube through the long series of windows
that lighted them. The polished floors
were more slippery than skating rink.
and the walls were ornamented with
paper or WIFI lEeScOsHS OF DittuISS VI III
different merit.
At the corner. Mt the farther end of the
long suit, was the throneroom. circular.
lofty and imposing. Its decorations
were of higher order. The view from
the windows was superb. l seated my
| self on the vacant throne. The witch
smiled approval. Then, quite unex-
pactetiiy. she emitted n series of shrill
shriclls. that came hack in an alarming
volIay of echoes from walls and ceilings.
One would have thought it was the cave
of n sorcercss and all the demons were
| howIing in chorus Before l had fairly
recovered from my astonishment she
| turned toward the windows. and, ex-
| tending lcr skinny hand. executed the
| gvrasoty movement of n dervish as she
| pointed through each, and repeated me-
| chemically and simply the words: Weld
| ling Leoroidsberg. Florisdorf. Ieilersdorf.
| Jc;lierscc. ;StanIElcrssion, Bisambergan-
| centrum They were the names OF the
hills or towns that were in sight or in the
| direction Indicated / looked back after
| had parted from her in the corridor.
| Her tJisks were saving the air as she
| dropped the kreutzers l had given her
slowly from one wrinkled palm into the
| other. | took q draught of the excellent
| K.rctcYncUbcrgcr wine in the abbey Gel
/ lars i'll ~ III Joining street, and taking a
last looiz - the huge imperial crown Of
| shining copper that -JIrInounts the chapel
tower descended the hill and made my
WY Is hastily as possible across the broad
/ grass plain to- tie landing of the Dan
/ ube Eoat.-Austria Cor. San Francisco
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